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Credit: Hilton Garden Inn
Credit: Hilton Garden Inn

Yesterday, the Hilton Garden Inn family of properties was officially refreshed.

As part of a global brand refresh, more than 720 Hilton Garden Inn properties in some 33 countries will welcome guests with a carefully reimagined emphasis on modern travel comforts. Convenience, flexibility and locality have all been given priority. Actress Judy Greer—who you may or may not have already seen in the TV spot below—will serve as the face of the accompanying campaign, which the brand is calling “Simple Things on Another Level.”

YouTube video

If you’ve stayed at a Hilton Garden Inn in the past (like Caitlin Martin has), you may know something of the experience—much of which will be built upon rather than all-out replaced. Properties will remain upscale at mid-level price points (the Hilton Garden Inn New York/Central Park South-Midtown West, for example, has rooms in July for $180/night). Quality food and beverage will remain standouts. The biggest change may well be in the size of the greeting you get when you walk in, which—like some other hotel fixtures—have been “brightened.”

Here’s a little more on what’s new:

Credit: Hilton Garden Inn
Credit: Hilton Garden Inn

Food & Beverage

Hilton Garden Inn already calls itself “the food and beverage (F&B) leader in the upscale hotel brand category.” With the refresh, it hopes to separate itself further with the addition of:

  • New, healthier restaurant items
  • New, locally inspired beers/wines/cocktails
  • New, healthier, fresher food options at The Shop, the 24/7 grab-and-go option in every hotel
  • New open-display kitchens

Also, you can win: Tweet a favorite menu item or drink using the hashtag #HGIEatDrinkShareContest for an opportunity to win Hilton Honors points!

Design

In another locality-minded move, the brand has introduced region-specific design prototypes. New properties in regions of the world where the brand operates will become Hilton Garden Inns based on specs build with regional tastes and economics in mind. The North American prototype, for example, will reduce the previous design’s footprint by 8%.

All six prototypes will be customizable and will include, as part of the pursuit of a brighter hotel experience:

  • More natural light
  • Pod-style check-in areas
  • Flexible, airier meeting & social spaces

Smiles and hellos!

An apparently large chunk of the rebrand will be visible in the brighter, sunnier disposition worn by all Hilton Garden Inn staff. This to me sounds like the existing emphasis on good customer service at most upscale hotels, but word is that there’s more to this. Staff training procedures have been reimagined and a team-only social network has been built to facilitate team chemistry, etc.

What matters most, says the refreshed Hilton Garden Inn, is that every guest arrives to a big, bright smile and a “hello!”

Social engagement

New campaign face Judy Greer will, in at least some instances, engage with guests on social media. As a way of personifying Hilton Garden Inn’s unique brand culture on social (@HiltonGardenInn), the brand will launch a series of ”video cheers” featuring Judy Greer. They’ll be designed to help consumers celebrate big life events, ranging from promotions to weddings, birthdays and a whole lot more.

Lastly: Celebrate on July 27!

On Thursday, July 27 (tomorrow)—aka National Refreshment Day—Hilton Garden Inn is inviting everyone to celebrate the refresh—and specifically its new food and drink offerings—in New York City. In midtown Manhattan at W 51st and 6th Ave (directly across from Radio City Music Hall), the team will be set up aboard a double-decker bus stocked with small bites, mocktails and gifts from noon to 4pm ET.

If you’re in NYC on Thursday, stop by!

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are the author’s own.

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